It’s that time of year again. In the weeks leading up to Christmas and the summer holidays we always experience an increase in the number of enquiries we receive from people wanting to review or prepare their Wills. Why is that?

The short answer is ‘holidays’.

We’ll leave it up to the psychologists to give you all the reasons. We can only tell you about the trends that we observe in practice. Going on holiday (not just at the end of the year) seems to prompt intended holiday-goers think about getting their Wills done, especially if they’re travelling. Of course this also means that most people want to get their Wills done BEFORE they leave which means there’s always an element of emergency. Some people start think of it when they’re buying travel insurance (naturally, as it forces them to consider ‘what if’) but others it tends to be an urgent after thought as though they’re walking out the door checking that they’ve got their passport, their ticket, turned off the stove, and they’ve done their Wills. Admittedly, it’s very hard to help you if you’re on the way to the airport and you just want to ‘swing by to pick up a Will’ – it doesn’t work that way.

Preparing a basic ’emergency’ Will can simple and straightforward, even if those people should really have a more comprehensive Will. However, whether that basic Will is sufficient or the most appropriate solution for them is another question.

I think if you’re already going to the trouble and expense of writing a Will, then it’s worth considering doing it properly. Unfortunately, sometimes doing it properly takes time. It takes time to write the Will, but it takes even more time having the right conversations with your family and loved ones to sort out what you need to in your life, your relationships and maybe your assets in order to be in the right place to put together a Will that’s relevant to you.

If you know you’ll be travelling over Christmas and New Year, then a little bit of advance planning means you’ll be better prepared to write a Will that’s right for you – that means you should do something NOW… today… this week, not 24 December 2013. Of course, you don’t even have to wait until you’re travelling or going on holidays to write a Will, you can do it today just because you should – everyone should.

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All information contained in this article is for general purposes only and correct as at the time of publication. You should only rely on information and advice that is specific to your situation and current at the time you wish to rely on it.